Not long after, more than 300 gentry from various places walked into the Dacheng Hall in an orderly manner.
These people have one thing in common, that is, most of them are scholars, so they are more particular about saluting the statue of Confucius first, and then paying homage to His Highness King Yan.
Why did King Yan choose such a place?
Facing the portrait of Confucius and thinking about what they would discuss with King Yan later, the gentry felt a little uncomfortable.
However, these people who came to discuss matters on behalf of their own families were naturally from the city government. Their expressions were well managed and they all appeared calm and calm. Some of them even nodded to the crowd of Pingjiang gentry and said, call.
The gentry class has various relationships with each other. Even in different states and counties, they are often related to each other. It is normal to greet each other when they meet. If the occasion does not allow it, I am afraid that a small talk is indispensable.
Dacheng Hall is actually not much smaller than Chongzheng Hall in Lin'an. It is more than enough to accommodate five or six hundred people. But even so, the gentlemen from Pingjiang and Jiaxing were pushed aside, making the hall clearly divided into two groups: east and west. People are separated by aisles three or four feet wide, giving them a somewhat distinct atmosphere.
The current situation, with so many gentry from different places gathering here, was obviously not a temporary move. However, the Pingjiang gentry did not receive any news beforehand, which made them murmur.
"It's strange...how did these people arrive in Gusu so quietly? What on earth are they doing here?"
"Brother Zhu, the person who nodded to you just now must be An Yuanwai from Changzhou. I remember that he and you are still related to each other. Have you ever talked to you or something?"
"It's An Zaixu. My third daughter-in-law is his legitimate daughter. I sent people to him to buy food and borrow money a few days ago. In the letters we exchanged, I didn't even mention that he wanted to come to Pingjiang."
"Hey, our uncle from the Zhou family's Lin'an room is also across the street, and he communicates frequently on weekdays. But this time, there is no news at all. It's so wrong. I have a bad feeling. I'm afraid the visitor is unkind. ah."
"Logically speaking, they can't please King Yan when he engages in the economic world. Shouldn't they be on the same side as us? Why do they seem to be both respectful and flattering to King Yan?"
"Could they have some dirty deal with King Yan?"
"What kind of deal? Is it possible to sell us?"
This noisy discussion attracted the attention of the non-local gentry in the east, with pity and mourning vaguely revealed in their eyes.
Some of them were close enough to hear the content of the discussion clearly, but they did not have the slightest thought of defending themselves. At the same time, they subconsciously moved their bodies to stay as far away as possible, as if they were afraid of being contaminated by bad luck.
Xie Tang saw all this in his eyes, and his heart sank rapidly, sinking into the abyss. It was as if there was an invisible noose around his neck, slowly tightening, until he could hardly breathe.
Lu Wencai and other key personnel gathered around him, like ants on a hot pot, anxiously looking at him, hoping to hear some instructions, even comforting words.
At this time, Zhao Mengqi, who was standing directly under the portrait of Confucius, cleared his throat when he saw that all the invitees had come in.
Realizing that King Yan was about to speak, everyone in the hall calmed down and looked at Zhao Mengqi seriously.
Zhao Mengqi clasped his hands and said, "Dear gentlemen, I must first thank you for taking the trouble to accept the invitation. However, I was not well prepared. I was not even able to provide a seat or a cup of tea. I really feel sorry for you all."
Immediately, the gentry responded enthusiastically, "Your Highness is too polite. Your Highness is a noble man of heaven and the crown prince of the country. It is a great honor for us to be able to summon ordinary people like us..."
"Since everyone is so open-minded, let's not waste time and get straight to the point."
Zhao Mengqi smiled and waved his hands. Wu Qiong and others behind him slowly unfolded a giant map, hung it on a wooden frame, and presented it to everyone.
"This picture is a preliminary project overview drawn by the Taihu Comprehensive Management Department. Although it may be changed later, it will not be too different."
"You can see that when the entire project is implemented, it will have a great impact on the environment of the Taihu Lake Basin.
With great improvement, I cannot say that droughts and floods will be completely eliminated, but the harm will definitely be much smaller. "
"Everyone knows that the area around Taihu Lake is the most productive area in the Song Dynasty. After such thorough management, it is not an exaggeration to say that it is a cornucopia. The food produced here alone is expected to feed most of the people in the world."
Although everyone knows that the Taihu Lake Basin is preparing for major governance, there is no concrete concept.
When the entire project is vividly displayed in the form of patterns, people who know water conservancy or not will be shocked by it.
"This... seems to be no less than the scale of the Grand Canal built during the Sui and Tang Dynasties!"
"What a grand gesture! If it is really completed, this will be the land of abundance!"
"If it is really accomplished, it will not only benefit the present generation, but also benefit generations to come. However, the manpower, money and food required for this will probably be huge. Can we, the Song Dynasty, get it now? Moreover, the Mongols are eyeing it. Is it really appropriate to carry out such a project that consumes national resources at this time?"
Some people admired it, and some people questioned it.
Faced with doubts, Zhao Mengqi had foreseen it and did not show any anger. He still smiled and explained slowly.
"The whole project is indeed very expensive. It is conservatively estimated that it will take about 50 million yuan to complete the main body, which is almost the fiscal revenue of the imperial court for a year. But everyone should have heard that this Taihu Lake project, Xiao Wang has assured the imperial court that it will never be done. The money and food from the national treasury will be used, and Xiao Wang will do his best to raise it."
"Before you came in, you all saw the golden mountain outside. A rough calculation is worth at least 15 million guan. In addition, thanks to the generosity of the gentry in Pingjiang and Jiaxing, Xiao Wang should have at least 30 million guan. Profit, so everyone no longer needs to worry about money and food."
What a generosity!
The gentry from all over the country couldn't help but smile knowingly after hearing this.
Zhao Mengqi did not intend to invest the gold and silver, or even the profits earned this time, in the governance project so simply and directly, but he did not need to explain it to the gentry in detail, as long as they believed that he had the strength.
"As for the depletion of national power, Xiao Wang thinks that is not necessarily the case. Including this dynasty, previous dynasties' large-scale construction and construction projects have indeed damaged national power, mainly because of the use of corvee and the input of a large number of laborers who should be responsible for production. As a result, agricultural and industrial production will be reduced.”
"But this time is different. Everyone should know that the territory of the Song Dynasty is shrinking day by day, and the long border areas are difficult to cultivate. As a result, a large number of people have lost their livelihood and become refugees. If they don't find a solution, then they will either die of hunger or cold, or they will rise up. .”
"In the past, everyone, including the imperial court, was afraid of refugees, thinking that they would not produce, would only waste food, and would pose a hidden danger to public security, so they usually tried to reduce their numbers passively. However, under Xiao Wang It seems that population is the greatest wealth. The value that each person can create is far higher than his consumption. The reason why refugees become a burden and cumbersome is because they have lost their value-creating positions."
"The Taihu Project can directly accommodate at least 500,000 laborers. These laborers are not recruited for free. They all have relatively generous wages. Then the materials, tools, and these 500,000 laborers required for this project are related to them. The food, clothing and daily necessities needed by the family can also create countless jobs."
"To put it simply, after Xiao Wang's investment of 50 million yuan, it will start rolling in cycles, and countless industries will prosper as a result. Xiao Wang believes that you are all knowledgeable people, and you should understand that relying on digging for food in the soil , it’s actually very difficult to make a fortune, otherwise we wouldn’t have so many industrial and commercial industries, right?”
"The most visible result of the Taihu Lake Project is to open up at least 50,000 hectares of high-yield fertile farmland. After the project is completed, part of the labor force will be transferred to farmers who cultivate these fields, and part of the labor force will form professional construction groups to continue to engage in other construction. Should everyone Do you think that our Song Dynasty is so perfect that we don’t need construction? There are still some parts that can be diverted to other industries based on their skills. In short, Xiao Wang has made corresponding arrangements."
After listening to King Yan's long speech, some of the hundreds of gentry in the palace fell into thinking, some nodded frequently, and some may not have figured it out for a while, but they could not behave better than others.
Being stupid, I can only pretend to understand by being vague.
There are some shrewd people who have discovered countless business opportunities from King Yan's words, with an investment of 50 million yuan. As long as they manage to get involved, they will be rich in wealth!
Zhao Mengqi drank a large cup of tea, moistened his throat, then picked up a slender bamboo pole, pointed at the dense dotted lines on the map, and told the gentry the expected amount of production in each place, as well as the division of farms. s position.
"Everyone has seen that these are good fields with fertile soil, abundant irrigation, and very good transportation conditions. To be on the safe side, Xiao Wang is planning to spend 10,000 hectares in the first phase to establish 20 farms, each with a It is about 50,000 acres of fertile farmland." Chinese website
"As for the farm system, you all should have understood it. Xiao Wang will not say any more nonsense. One million acres of land, twenty kilograms of rice per acre, and the grain is paid with the coupon. Children and old men are innocent. You can think about it carefully. Come and buy again."
These gentry were waiting for this moment. As soon as Zhao Mengqi finished speaking, they expressed their opinions one after another.
"There is nothing to consider. Can't we still trust His Highness? My Lin'an Zhou family has sent 200,000 shi of grain to the Wujiang official warehouse. This is the delivery certificate. I just want the 10,000 acres of farmland in No. 13! "
"Your Highness, I am Hua Chengyu of Qingyuan Mansion. Two hundred thousand shi of grain has been delivered to Huating. Here are the delivery procedures. I will choose Grange No. 7."
The gentry rushed to report, just to be the first to occupy their favorite positions.
"Your Highness, Your Highness, the old Changzhou An Zaixu has delivered the grain to Changshu County. It only has 50,000 dan for the time being, but we can raise at least 50,000 dan within half a month. Can you please be a little accommodating? I will use my family property as a pledge to purchase 50,000 dan in advance. Thousand acres of land ticket?"
Hearing this, Zhu Gui of Pingjiang Prefecture was furious, "Well, An Zaixu, didn't you say you sold all the grain to me!? You actually hid fifty thousand dan! I see, our in-laws don't do this Forget it, let my son and your daughter reconcile later!"
"Haha, let's make peace. I'm eager to make peace." An Zaixu didn't panic at all. He glared, "Don't forget, the 100,000 yuan I borrowed from you will expire in five days. If you still don’t come by then, don’t blame me for coming to take over your house and land!”
"You!" Zhu Gui didn't know whether he was angry or thought of the terrible consequences. He spit out a mouthful of black blood and fainted.
A bunch of people on the Pingjiang gentry side panicked, and many people also thought of their own fate and couldn't help but start cursing.
But the foreign gentry didn't bother to look at them, and they were still actively reporting the numbers and deciding the location of the farm they wanted.
A few people who didn't seem to be familiar with the other gentry tried their best to squeeze to the front, "Your Highness, I'm from Jiangnan West Road. Can I have a discussion with you?"
From Jiangxi?
That helped a lot this time, so I had to take care of him.
Zhao Mengqi waved his hand to keep the others quiet for the time being, and then looked at them warmly, "Xiao Wang has to thank you very much. If you need any help, as long as Xiao Wang can make the decision, there is no reason to refuse. Just say it."
"Thank you, Your Highness. Xiaomin and others have delivered two million stones of rice to Jiankang Mansion this time according to your instructions. The delivery receipt was signed by Qiu Zhizhi envoy. Originally, you said that the rice was paid according to the price of two and five. Acquisition, but Xiaomin and others don’t want the money now, and the deposit of one million yuan will be returned to you. Even if you want to exchange it for this field roll, you can see if it can be done.”
It turned out that Zhao Mengqi had misappropriated a total of 1.8 million shi of military rations and Changping rations from Jiankang Prefecture, but promised Qiu Yue that he would return 2 million shi of new grains to him.
By exchanging the old for the new, Qiu Yue had no reason to disagree. Then Zhao Mengqi asked someone to take one million Guanjiaozi and rush to Jiangnan West Road as quickly as possible to buy grain. The summer harvest happened there and the new grain was on the market. .
In addition, he also sent people to Jinghu South Road, but he probably couldn't buy much there. After all, he had to supply military rations for the defense line in the middle of the Yangtze River, and the road was far away, so he hadn't returned yet.
"Okay, I'll give you a share of 100,000 acres." Zhao Mengqi agreed to the request without much thought.
When the other gentry saw that another hundred thousand acres were suddenly divided, they all became more eager.
